I agree I feel that direct orders just hold precedence over third parties if I was a manufacturer. That's like buying dealer parts from a third party vs the dealership ... best bet should always be to go to the source. I wouldn't give a d--n if other stores look bad or are out of stock vs my own. Apple would never sell themselves short to make verizon look good just my .02 cents
This makes zero sense. Any authorized dealer = buying direct. I would be willing the bet that orders from authorized dealers get shipped before individual direct orders.